City wages war on mosquitoes

A major mosquito eradication program is underway as the City targets larvae hatching sites across the Gold Coast.

City staff on all-terrain vehicles are accessing remote areas to determine if mosquito larvae have hatched. The boost in surveillance is a response to heavy rainfall post ex cyclone Debbie.

Focus areas include north of Nerang and any city saltmarsh/mangrove areas.

Staff have covered around 20,000 hectares this season with a further 2000 hectares being targeted over the next two weeks.

“We are on a hunt-and-destroy mission against mosquitoes,’’ said Mayor Tom Tate.

“The community can provide us significant support by checking in backyards for known mozzie breeding areas, and tipping out water in containers and garden pot trays.’’

The current program involves 13 staff operating in known breeding sites as well as helicopter spraying and vehicle fogging.

“We want to wipe them out,’’ said Mayor Tate.

“At the same time, we are watching out for new breeds of mosquito that can be transported from Far North Queensland or overseas.

“To do this, we have increased our surveillance efforts around the city including an extra monitoring station at the airport. To date, there has been no detection of new species.’’

Residents can also request native fish to keep in domestic ponds. The native Australian Rainbow fish, known as the Crimson Spotted Rainbow fish, eats mosquito larvae. Contact the City’s Pest Management Unit for eligibility.